Zhang, S; Zhang, S; Zhao, Z; Liu, H; Wang, C; Wang, X and Yan, L (2026) BIM and semantic web-based circular design system for sustainable construction management of hydropower engineering. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(3): 04026002, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The sustainable construction of hydropower engineering is crucial for ensuring access to reliable energy while mitigating environmental impacts. However, effective knowledge sharing during the construction phase is severely hindered by data fragmentation across disparate stakeholders. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a circular design system for sustainable construction management that leverages Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Semantic Web technologies. The methodology first establishes a conceptual framework based on requirement analysis and system boundary definition. Subsequently, an ontology-based semantic model is developed to create a unified knowledge representation for integrating circular design into sustainable construction management practices. Furthermore, the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard is extended to create a standardized digital representation that allows for BIM-based data exchange aligned with international hydropower sustainability standards. A prototype system was developed and applied to a large-scale pumped-storage hydropower project under construction for validation. Evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed framework has significant practical value for promoting information sharing in hydropower construction projects. The insights from this research provide a pathway for applying digital technologies to improve stakeholder partnerships and standards compliance for sustainable project management throughout the construction life cycle.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | circular economy; construction management; information technologies; sustainability |
| Index terms: | information sharing, sustainable project management, industry foundation classes, construction phase, hydropower project, semantic web, data exchange, building information modelling, circular economy, life cycle, partnership, environmental impact, validation, management practice, methodology, construction project, information technology, conceptual framework, digital technology, sustainable construction, sustainability standard, compliance, ontology, knowledge sharing, prototype, fragmentation |
| Subjects: | sustainable design, health safety and environment, production management, sustainable construction, sustainability assessment, theoretical framing, research methods, networking, environmental impact, construction type, computational design, knowledge management, professional development, management, education and knowledge transfer, data exchange, information systems, partnership management, value management, computing systems, business, project delivery, modelling and simulation |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Health and Safety, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here